MORE ON WORKING WITH RECRUITERS Part 3: HELP ME CONTACT YOU QUICKLY!

I just heard that a smart phone has become the most important fashion accessory.  I don’t doubt it.  It is a powerful tool, especially if one is properly connected.  I have apps on my iPhone to fetch my email from each of my various accounts.  Messages left on my desk phone are relayed to my cell phone via text.  All of my data is backed up to the cloud and accessible via my iPhone.  My iPhone includes apps for LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, and Facebook, among others.  My office is wherever I am, whenever.  As a result, my clients know that I am at their service 24/7.  I hardly think that I am unique among recruiters so I am certain we are all working pretty much the same way.  Last week I wrote about being prepared to talk with your recruiter.  Now it’s time to talk about accessibility.

Just as I am accessible to my clients, my candidates must be equally available to me when I need them.  When someone indicates interest in one of my searches I put their contact information into my data-base, tied to that search.  I invite them to connect with me on LinkedIn and to opt in to my mailing list.  Accepting those invitations helps me stay connected to those folks, during and after the completion of the assignment.  I may have mentioned in an earlier blog post that I prefer to make email contact to a candidate’s personal email account; one they use regularly.  Using a candidate’s work email address introduces a risk component that the candidate should avoid.  Most companies don’t like their employees looking for another job while employed and using the company’s email account is like waving a big red flag.   Text messaging is becoming more important as those people who are gainfully employed can acknowledge and respond to a text message when they cannot respond via email or by telephone.  It is especially useful for getting answers to questions where a yes or no answer is required.  

So, what should you do to be most accessible to your recruiter?   To begin with, ensure that your resume contains the appropriate contact information.  Your home address is not important anymore.   It is unlikely that you will be contacted via the U.S. Postal Service.  Your cell phone number and your personal email address is critical.  Secondly, make sure that you put the recruiter’s information into your smart phone so that you will recognize that he is trying to contact you.  You don’t want important email going into your spam filter, do you?   My contact information is widely published and available on all of my emails.  In fact, you should have a detailed signature block your emails as well.  That tip makes it that much easier to respond to you, especially by phone or text.  Finally, my best candidates keep me apprised as to their upcoming schedule so I will know if they are traveling or on vacation.

Life moves quickly.  Technology has us connected like never before.  We live in a real time world, or very close to it.   Business moves quicker than ever with the expectation for immediate results.  “Time is of the essence” has taken on an entirely new dimension.   We have tools like voice mail, email, text messaging, and LinkedIn among others.  To be competitive one must be competent and technically savvy.  

To ensure that I am in the best position to help you land that next job, make sure that I can easily reach you when I need you.  Use technology to your advantage.  Ensure that all of your contact information is on your resume and in the signature block of your emails.  Keep me abreast of your calendar, especially your travel plans.  Make sure that my contact information is in your contact list as well.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

MORE ON WORKING WITH RECRUITERS: BE PREPARED FOR EVERY CONVERSATION

Your ability to express yourself in an effective manner is critical to landing a job.  We will explore this issue in greater depth in the next few weeks, but at this time I would like to focus on your interface with the Executive Recruiter.   As you now understand, the recruiter is the gate-keeper.  You must do an effective job selling her before you will have an opportunity to sell the hiring manager.  So let’s discuss those critical touch points and your responsibility during each.

My preference is to make my initial contact via email.  It is more productive and eliminates the embarrassment of catching someone off guard.   In that email I indicate the basic parameter for the search I am working and ask the recipient for their interest or referrals.  If there is interest we will schedule a preliminary phone conversation.    Phone conversations have their limitations, however, the best candidates understand and overcome those limitations.   I have found that some otherwise solid candidates do not perform well on the phone compared to weaker candidates who may have a very good telephone presence.  Generally speaking, however, good telephone skills follow the better candidates. 

The preliminary call is my first opportunity to take the measure of the candidate.  I want to gauge the individual’s ability to communicate their interest, enthusiasm, motivation, and personality.   It will be a short conversation so the prospect (not really a candidate yet) must get to the point and resolve the most pertinent and immediate questions.   Vague, non-committal responses will likely eliminate one from further conversation.  If we decide to move to the next step, I will provide more information so the candidate can begin his due-diligence.  When the candidate becomes comfortable with the client and the job, we will schedule a more in-depth phone interview.   This is usually a 60 minute conversation designed to fully understand her background, strengths, and skill-set.  

As I discussed in last week’s post, I need to understand my candidate’s complete work history.  I like to listen to their career “story” and ask questions that focus on specific accomplishments that dovetail with the job requirements.   The savvy candidates have given a lot of thought to their career and know how to present their history in an interesting way.  This is my opportunity to gauge their communication skills for content and language.  If an executive has difficulty telling their career story, they will likely have difficulty performing effectively in the job.  I expect the candidate to talk in complete sentences, using appropriate grammar.  Communication skills matter!  The questions I ask about specific accomplishments are meant to reveal the candidate’s approach to leadership, problem-solving, and project management.   Questions about job changes reveal the candidates thinking about career management.

I usually leave time for the candidate to ask a few questions.  Oftentimes I do not have the answers to questions about broader corporate strategy, but can be helpful with questions related to the specifics of the job.  The questions asked by the candidate and the timing of those questions are revealing.  If the candidate does well on the in-depth phone screen we will schedule a face-to-face meeting.

In summary, communication matters!  The savvy candidate understands the recruiting and selection process and prepares for each conversation as appropriate.  Telephone conversations have their limitations.  It may be difficult for some people to make a meaningful emotional connection over the phone. If you are one of those people, I suggest that you practice becoming more demonstrative over the phone.  If necessary, seek out professional help.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com